Every James Bond film includes memorable vehicles and even better chase scenes

Originally published: November 2, 2012

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A major part of the James Bond film franchise’s winning formula is cars: car gadgets, car chases, car explosions, car stunts.

There’s even a monthly magazine in the U.K. dedicated to all things Bond cars, and with every issue of The James Bond Car Collection comes a 1: 43 scale model of a car in a diorama from a James Bond film.

Just like picking a favourite Bond film from the catalogue of 22 films, excluding the soon to be released 23rd, Skyfall, picking a favourite vehicle from Bond films is all but impossible. So, here’s my top five memorable vehicles and the scenes they were in.

MOON BUGGY, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, 1971

Space travel had captured the world’s imagination just two years earlier with the first manned flight to the moon, and in this classic movie, Bond, played by the incomparable Sean Connery, steals this moon buggy to aid in a getaway from multimillionaire recluse Willard Whyte’s Techtron-ics Space Centre outside Las Vegas in the Nevada desert. On the run from Whyte’s henchman, Bond finds himself in a large warehouse featuring an artificial moonscape complete with trainee astronauts. Seizing the opportunity, he jumps into the moon buggy vehicle and crashes out of the centre and into one of the 007 films’ most famous chase scenes. Oscar-winning production designer Ken Adam conceptualized the moon buggy and famed movie custom-car designer Dean Jeffries built it in his California workshop. Unlike any other famous Bond vehicles, the moon buggy is truly unique – there was only one ever built. Following a worldwide publicity tour to promote the film, the moon buggy was discarded and allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. The vehicle was eventually located by 007 magazine publisher Graham Rye, who organized the restoration to its original condition. The moon buggy was displayed as the impressive centrepiece in Planet Hollywood’s restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 1993 to 2003.

1974 AMC HORNET, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, 1974

Arguably one of the best bond movies also featured one of the best car chase scenes. bond, played by roger moore, steals a brand new hornet from a Bangkok amc dealership – naturally crashing through the showroom window – in pursuit of baddie francisco scaramanga. bond isn’t alone, however, as Louisiana lawman sheriff j.w. pepper, hilariously played by Clifton James, ends up riding shotgun as he was checking out the car in the dealership. What makes this chase scene memorable, apart from the wonderful chemistry between the suave super spy and the southern bumpkin, is the twisting corkscrew jump over a Thai waterway, famously done in just one take by British stuntman Bumps Williard (who, by the way, never received a credit at the end of film).

1974 AMC MATADOR, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, 1974

Another American Motors car did a star turn in The Man with the Golden Gun, though this one was driven by the villain and pursued by Bond in the Hornet. Scaramanga’s specially equipped Matador coupe turns into a plane, and – with henchman Nick Nack in the passenger seat and kidnap victim Mary Goodnight in the trunk – emerges from a barn to take flight from the outskirts of Bangkok to Scaramanga’s secret island lair in the China Sea. Just under 10 metres long, the car-plane could actually fly for about 500 metres, and after that a remote control model of the tricked-out Matador was used.

LOTUS ESPRIT S1, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, 1977

Roger Moore is at his kitschy best in this classic Bond caper, and few car scenes are more memorable than Bond and Russian agent Triple X Anya Amasova (played by a smouldering Barbara Bach) emerging from the surf in the Q Branch-prepared Lotus Esprit car-sub to the amazement of sunbathers on a Sardinian beach. The dry duo also use the Lotus car-sub to scope out villain Karl Stromberg’s underwater base, Atlantis. The Spy Who Loved Me, considered Moore’s best turn as 007, also brought us one of the greatest henchman of all time, the metal-mouth giant Jaws, played beautifully by Richard Kiel. The Lotus is on display at the James Bond Experience at the National Motor Museum in England.

ASTON MARTIN V12 VANQUISH, DIE ANOTHER DAY, 2002

Having had flying and submersble cars, the time was right for an invisible one in this movie from a decade ago. Using so-called “adaptive camouflage,” this Aston supercar, with the push of a button, disappeared from sight, allowing Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, to sneak up on Gustav Graves’ Icelandic command centre and save U.S. spy Gia-cinti (Jinx) Johnson, played by Halle Berry. Later, Bond’s Aston is chased around the melting ice palace by Graves’ accomplice Zao in a Jaguar XKR. Paying homage to the original Bond Aston, the DB5, the Vanquish is equipped with an ejector seat, along with front-firing rockets, hood-mounted target-seeking guns and spike-producing tires.